“This is highway robbery,” said Jordan Bateman, the CTF’s B.C. director. “Drivers are tired of seeing their hard-earned money evaporate into government’s coffers.”

The federal and provincial governments and TransLink took in a total of $958 million from Metro drivers last year through taxes at the pumps, and the CTF calculated that will rise to $1.02 billion this year.

TransLink’s portion will account for more than $350 million – the biggest chunk – while the federal government’s 10-cent tax pulls in $208 million from Metro, provincial gas tax of 8.5 per is worth $177 million, the carbon tax of 6.67 cents as of July will be nearly $140 million and the five-per-cent federal HST generates another $145.6 million.

For a 64-litre tank fill-up, taxes account for more than $31 and could add up to nearly $1,600 per year for a two-car family.

Much of Ottawa’s take is handed back to TransLink via cities for transportation investment, but Bateman said governments should allocate all gas taxes to roads and bridges or cut them immediately.

“We’re told tolls are necessary for projects like the Highway 1/Port Mann Bridge expansion,” he said. “Clearly there is enough money being taken from drivers to fund these priorities, but government is spending the cash elsewhere.”

Province-wide, motorists will pay $1.82 billion to various levels of government through gas taxes.